Crockpot Dulce de Leche Caramel

Crockpot Dulce de Leche Carameltakes just five minutes of active preparation time to make, and it contains no corn syrup!

Hey there, Friends! This week will be dedicated to all things sweet, creamy, and caramel-y. Because the Theme Weaver’s teaming up for usual culinary hi-jinks to bring you Caramel Week!

All. Week. Long!

Six full days simply oozing with caramel goodness, including a savory meal sure to impress even the finickiest of dinner guests. I’ll share the entire line-up in a few minutes, so hold tight and prepare for an amazing week drenched in buttery, ambrosial decadence.

♥♥♥

We’re kicking off Caramel Week with the easiest, most decadent caramel recipe around: Dulce de Leche Caramel, made in a slow cooker. This delicious sauce can be yours with only five minutes of active preparation time!

Yes, way!

As an added bonus, this caramel is absolutely free of corn syrup for those with corn allergies.

Literally translated the term “dulce de leche” means sweet milk. Dulce de leche is made by slowly heating sweet milk until the sugars caramelize, thus changing both the color and flavor of the original product.

I’ve shared a couple of from-scratch caramel recipes in the past. While I really enjoy the flavor of caramel made from scratch, there is another way to make caramel that doesn’t involve standing over a hot stove for prolonged periods of time stirring molten sugar.

All you need is a slow cooker, three eight ounce canning jars with bands and seals, and two cans of low-fat sweetened condensed milk.

If you want to use fully leaded sweetened condensed milk, then by all means, use it. Your secret is safe with me. But, please! For all that is good and right with the world, do not–I repeat, do not use fat free sweetened condensed milk for your dulce de leche caramel.

Comfortably Domestic Service Announcement:I’m pretty sure the term fat-free caramel is an oxymoron. Plus, I’m told it tastes like glue. Don’t eat glue.

Open cans of sweetened condensed milk, and divide the contents between the three canning jars. Fill each about three-fourths of the way full. Place the seals on the jars, loosely affixing the bands until they are on well, but not quite finger tight. We want air to be able to circulate through the seals so as not to have them explode under the pressure created by the steam in the crock pot.

Set the jars in the crock pot before filling the crock with enough water to surround the jars to within one-inch of the tops. Place the lid on the crock, and simmer over low heat for between five and seven hours, depending on the make/model of your slow cooker, and desired outcome. My general timeline is as follows:

Five hours for flowing caramel.

Seven hours spreadable caramel.

Carefully remove the jars after the desired amount of time has lapsed, and allow them to cool completely on the counter before refrigerating.

The dulce de leche caramel will continue to thicken upon standing, so don’t judge the outcome strictly by how it looks coming out of the crock pot.

If the pale sweetened condensed milk has transformed to a rich amber hue, then the caramel is done.

I’m slightly uncivilized when it comes to caramel, attacking warm dulce de leche with a spoon. However, I’m confident you are far more dignified than I am. Therefore, I’ll be sharing two more recipes that call for freshly made Dulce de Leche Caramel.

Until then, grab a spoon and dig in to decadent dulce de leche caramel!

♥♥♥

Kirsten Kubert

Yields 24 ounces

Crockpot Dulce de Leche Caramel

Sweet dulce de leche caramel, made in a slow cooker, with NO corn syrup! The easiest way to make caramel sauce.

5 minPrep Time

5 hrCook Time

5 hr, 5 Total Time

Save Recipe

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 cans (14 oz. each) Sweetened Condensed Milk

3 (8 oz. each) canning jars with seals and bands

Instructions

Transfer the contents of the cans of sweetened condensed milk into the canning jars, filling each jar no more than three-quarters of the way. Place the seals on the jars, and loosely affix the bands until they are on well, but not quite finger tight. We want air to be able to circulate through the seals so as not to have them explode under the pressure created by the steam in the crock pot.

Set the jars into the crock of a slow cooker. Fill the crock with enough cold water to immerse the jars in water until it is one-inch from the top of the jars. Place the lid on the slow cooker and heat on low for five to seven hours, depending on the desired consistency.

Five hours for flowing caramel, or up to seven hours for spreadable caramel.

Carefully remove the jars from the crock, and let stand at room temperature until cool. Caramel will continue to thicken as it stands.

Once cooled, dulce de leche can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Reader Interactions

~ Affiliate Disclaimer ~

This post may contain affiliate links for items that I genuinely use on a regular basis. Your continuing support of brands that I love helps to offset the cost of providing FREE Comfortably Domestic recipes and other helpful content. As always, all opinions expressed on this website are 100% my own. Thank you!

Comments

I just tried it in a 4oz can... it didn't turn out as dark as yours, but I peeked a bunch of times... it went in at 11 and came out at 6. I peeked maybe 4 times? (aka, took the lid off the crock to see the color). I'm debating putting them back in again tomorrow (after they warm up on the counter) for a while to see if they get darker now that I've read your comments 0:-P. Maybe my water wasn't hot enough? It never really "simmered" but it did steam up the inside of the crock.
I actually used 1/2 a can to make peppermint patty coffee creamer, and the 2nd half I put in 2 4oz jars in my mini crock pot. Kinda awesome 2 for one deal :-P. I just wish it got darker... we'll experiment more tomorrow :-P Thanks!! (and next on the "to do list" is make caramel coffee creamer. I might just alternate Peppermint Patty and caramel with each sweetened condensed milk can I open ;-P)

I like the way you think, Betsy! I think the idea of switching between peppermint and dulce de leche coffee creamers is fabulous. I'd have to agree that all of the "peeking" during the caramelization process is likely what kept your dulce de leche from reaching a darker hue. Every time you lift the lid, all of the heat that has built up in the crock disperses, and your slow cooker has to work that much harder/longer to build up the same level of heat again. I would try to put them back in the crock for a little longer until it reaches your desired color. The "simmering" water never really comes to boiling, but so long as you have steam, you should be fine. I'd also double check the that water is to the level outlined in the recipe--then no peeking! ;)

I put them back in :-P they got MUCH browner today... they were in for probably another 7 hours on high (I forgot they were in there... oops!!) so hopefully it's "spoonable" after it cools off, cause it was PRET-TY thick when it was warm still (but delicious)
next time: hot (for my crockpot) and NO PEEKING!! ;)

Hi, Donna! Using a pint size jar will still work, but it will take considerably longer than dividing it among half pint jars. Hang in there! You're dulce de leche is coming-just watch the color, and take it out when it is a nice amber color. :)

Kirsten, I concur with Jeanne about the brilliance of using a crock pot and canning jars to transform SCM into dulce de leche. When I first boiled sealed cans of the sweet milk in prehistoric times, we dropped a can into a hot water kettle on the stove top, placed the lid on it and prayed there were no explosions. Yours is as glorious as can be. Sweet. Golden. Caramel!

I have ALWAYS wanted to try this and I have always been worried about the cans exploding. This would be a perfect solution. I'm thinking I'm going to have to do this on a rainy day and surprise the parents with some homemade treats (or, I could just eat it all myself and there is no shame in this.).
IOU big time for sharing this recipe, lady!

Very true! The canning jars take the guess work out of the process because you can see how golden the caramel is getting. Also, there is the whole issue with cans randomly exploding due to the internal pressure building while cooking the milk in the sealed cans. I've not had that happen to me when I've heated the sealed cans, but I know people that have had to deal with exploding cans and the resulting kitchen fires. ;)

Thanks, Mads. I'm really glad you made salted caramel from scratch for that gor-gee-ous Caramel Banana Bread Pudding of yours!
Hey, y'all! The rest of you are really going to want to check out Mads' recipe! The link is in the Caramel Week schedule above.

I love the deep amber hue of your caramel. Why I ever stood over a stove for 2 hours whisking furiously just confounds me. I'm breaking out the crockpot and making another batch now. Also, I love that you transferred the sweetened condensed milk to canning jars. Most people (me) would just peel the labels off the cans and throw them in. This sounds much safer and when it's done, it's already in the perfect storage container. Smart, Kirsten. Very, very smart.

Why, thank you! Yeah, took me about a decade of removing labels and putting the cans of sweetened condensed milk in the crock pot, just praying that they didn't explode before the proverbial light bulb went on over my head and I decided to try it in canning jars. Now I can rest easy when making dulce de leche! ;)

[…] to be somewhat redundant; often they’ll be left on the shelf, and forgotten. Not so with this homemade dulce de leche, which is perfect as an ice cream topping, cookie sandwich filler, apple dipping sauce, or, simply, […]

Primary Sidebar

Meet Kirsten

Focusing on family style food from scratch made as quickly as possible to fit today's active lifestyles. A realistic, balanced approach to healthy living following the 80/20 rule of eating well and indulging in plenty of freshly baked treats. Good food doesn't have to be complicated. I'm here to help! Read More…